Saturated bicycles are becoming ever more important in the design and development of new pharmaceuticals. Here a new strategy for the synthesis of bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes is described. These bicycles are significant because they have defined exit vectors, yet many substitution patterns are underexplored as building blocks. The process involves sensitization of a bicyclo[1.1.0]butane followed by cycloaddition with an alkene. The scope and mechanistic details of the method are discussed.

Among the valuable saturated bicyclic structures incorporated in newly developed bio-active compounds, bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes are playing an increasingly important role, while being still underexplored from a synthetic accessibility point of view....

Aromatic ring isosteres and rigidified saturated hydrocarbons are important motifs to enable drug discovery. Herein we disclose [2]-ladderanes as a class of meta-substituted aromatic ring isosteres and rigidified cyclohexanes. A straightforward synthesis of the building blocks is presented along with representative derivatization. Preliminary studies reveal that the [2]-ladderanes offer similar metabolic and physicochemical properties thus establishing this class of molecules as interesting motifs.

Saturated bicycles are becoming ever more important in the design and development of new pharmaceuticals. In this manuscript, a new strategy for the synthesis of [2.1.1]-bicyclohexanes is described. These bicycles are significant as they have defined exit vectors, yet many substitution patterns are underexplored as building blocks. The process involves sensitization of a [1.1.0]-bicyclobutane followed by cycloaddition with an alkene. The scope and mechanistic details of the methods are discussed.

The replacement of the aromatic ring in bioactive com-pounds with saturated bioisosteres has become a popular tactic to obtain novel structures with an improved physico-chemical profile. In this communication, we describe an efficient synthesis of 3,5-methanobenzo[b]azepines and suggest them as isosteres of quinolones. Quinolones are aromatic, flat rings and considered as privileged scaffolds. An isosteric version of this scaffold with more 3D character would offer new options to expand their use.